The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's golf team was not the favorite to win the Southern Conference championship, but the Mocs won and earned an automatic bid to an NCAA regional tournament.
They want a repeat surprise performance in their next tournament. Or at least they want to finish high enough to advance to the NCAA championship event at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn.
"This team can compete with anybody when they show up, and it's up to us to show up," said coach Colette Murray, who has guided the Mocs to a regional for five straight years. "This team knows that it can play at a championship level."
UTC, ranked No. 69 by GolfWeek, will play in the East Regional beginning May 10 at Penn State's Blue Course in State College, Pa. Second-ranked Alabama, which includes former Baylor star Brooke Pancake, will be the top seed among 24 teams there.
"Penn State is a good place for us," Murray said. "That sets up for us a little better because it's a little shorter than the other courses."
The top eight teams and the top two individuals not on those teams move on.
No. 10 Georgia and No. 15 Tennessee will play at the Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio.